Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

Contagious Contentment

This may be a strange thing to write about when a person finds herself in the middle of selling one house in order to buy a larger one. But I’ve had a few conversations lately which have turned my heart toward the notion of contentment, and I think it bears examination.

If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with. –L Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Contentment, the feeling of satisfaction and happiness, can be such a fleeting emotion. Another way to frame the discussion about contentment is to take the negative approach: contentment is the absence of want, it is the lack of envy. There is peace in the circumstances of the moment. A content heart is cheerful and pleasant, just as it is.

I’m going to devote my next few posts to gathering my own thoughts about contentment, rounding up the excellent viewpoints of bloggers and theologians, and sharing quotes and Scriptures that can inform the discussion.

Do you struggle with discontentment? Have you found a way through the struggle and landed in a place of peace? Join the conversation. Comment below or tweet @MichelleNebel #contagiouscontentment.